Actor Mark Ruffalo is facing accusations of antisemitism from a group of nearly 1,000 Hollywood insiders, known as The Brigade, for remarks made about the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The group stated that Ruffalo employed tropes about Jewish wealth and power while criticizing Paramount leadership and the deal.
"This is not commentary on a merger. It is not a criticism of a government. It is simple antisemitism, where Jewish executives are portrayed as a secretive and powerful wealth-hoarding elite delighting in mass death," The Brigade said in a statement, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Paramount has stated, "We stand by the statement."
Ruffalo has vehemently denied the accusations, calling them "appalling and fundamentally dishonest." He maintains that his objections are directed at political and corporate actions, not at Jewish people.
"Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people," Ruffalo stated. The Brigade, however, rejected this distinction, arguing that Ruffalo's focus on Israel while targeting Jewish executives introduced a conspiracy narrative into a corporate discussion.
The dispute originated when Ruffalo shared a video concerning Oracle executive vice chair Safra Catz discussing technology Oracle provided to assist Israel. Ruffalo connected Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison, to the financing of the proposed acquisition. He suggested that "these ‘really profoundly scary technologies’ will most likely be merged into one of the largest media conglomerates in the world and one day used on you," and that Catz "revels in what we now have come to see as a genocide, which was built on an apartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle."
Paramount responded to Ruffalo's remarks by stating that he had moved from criticizing the transaction to expressing prejudice, and that the company does not tolerate bias.
This public disagreement comes as a coalition of 12 state attorneys general has filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the merger, and the companies have agreed not to close the deal until five days after a court ruling on the merits or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first. The proposed transaction would consolidate CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. studio assets under unified ownership.
Notable figures in Hollywood have expressed differing views on the matter. John Cusack publicly supported Ruffalo, while actress Hannah Einbinder called the antisemitism allegation "ludicrous." The Simon Wiesenthal Center sided with Paramount, commending the company's response.